“I have not.”
“It’s a pretty popular traveler’s inn at the midlands crossroads, and the owner believes it’s cursed.” She stood up and rounded her wide desk to hand me two papers. One was a letter from someone named Cassian Fibbersnap, and the other was a small list of notes about the inn.
“Cursed with what?” I asked, scanning the pages for the answer. It all seemed very surface-level.
“That’s for you to find out, Thorndrop.” She patted me on the shoulder, and I flinched. She folded her hands behind her back, not acknowledging the reaction.
I cleared my throat. “When should I head to the country?”
“I’ll send a coach to pick you up tomorrow,” she said, returning to her seat at the desk. “Do you have any questions?”
I quickly scanned Mr. Fibbersnap’s letter, which was a long rambling run-on sentence about how he doesn’t exactly need help breaking the curse, but it would be good to know who did it, although help with breaking the curse would be nice, but he didn’t need it, but it would be nice.
“This guy seems stressed,” I said.
“He likely is. He’s twenty-four, and his grandfather left him the largest traveler’s inn on this side of the Bordorbam River. That would put anyone on edge,” Commander Decker said.
“Of course.”
“Enjoy your time at Fibbersnap Inn, but don’t come back without an answer,” Commander Decker said.
“Am I supposed to break the curse? Or catch the person who did it?” I asked.
Commander Decker looked like she was trying not to roll her eyes. “I never thought I’d say this about one of my investigators, but you ask too many damn questions.”
“How many is too many?” I asked.
“Dismissed.”
Chapter Two
CASSIAN
The days passed in agony while I waited for an investigator from the Ladiall force to arrive.
We received no business, not even locals stopping in for a drink. The weirdest part about it was that everyone had a perfectly valid reason not to be here, just like Mr. Mimster. Whether it was no money, or family in the area, or even magic that kept their wagons safe from winter cold, people did not need shelter.
Finally, on a blustery winter evening, we received a visitor.
The door blew open, and he stepped through, accompanied by a swirl of snowflakes. He wore a hooded cloak and a scarf, hiding everything but his gray eyes and dark eyebrows.
I nearly tripped sliding off my stool behind the counter to greet him at the door. “Hello! Welcome to Fibbersnap Inn! How can we help you?”
Jasmine emerged from the office, Griffin huffed to the pub doorway, and Olive stepped into the lobby to watch.
The visitor lowered his hood and pulled down his scarf as his eyes met each of theirs, and then he looked at me. His darkbrown hair fell around his face in waves, and his expression was very inquisitive. His bronze skin glowed in the warm firelight. “My name is Sterling Thorndrop. I’m an investigator from Ladiall, looking for Cassian Fibbersnap. Is that you?”
Griffin groaned and stomped back into the pub, but Jasmine and Olive remained in the lobby. Sterling’s eyes caught Griffin before he vanished from sight, but he quickly fixed them on me again.
I extended my hand with a grin. “Nice to meet you, Sterling. Thank you so much for being here. Yes, I am Cassian Fibbersnap.”
Sterling shook my hand with a firm, gloved grip. “The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Fibbersnap.”
“Please, call me Cassian. Let’s talk in the office, shall we?” I asked, gesturing toward the door behind the counter.
“Wherever you feel comfortable.”
I led him around the curved counter with my hand placed gently on his upper back while I admired how I had to look up at him. Gods, did they have to send the hottest investigator they had?
